80 FR 142 pgs. 44162-44164 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposed Rule Change Relating to the Options Regulatory Fee
Type: NOTICEVolume: 80Number: 142Pages: 44162 - 44164
Pages: 44162, 44163, 44164Docket number: [Release No. 34-75491; File No. SR-CBOE-2015-064]
FR document: [FR Doc. 2015-18131 Filed 7-23-15; 8:45 am]
Agency: Securities and Exchange Commission
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
[Release No. 34-75491; File No. SR-CBOE-2015-064]
Self-Regulatory Organizations; Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of a Proposed Rule Change Relating to the Options Regulatory Fee
July 20, 2015.
Pursuant to Section 19(b)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,1and Rule 19b-4 thereunder,2notice is hereby given that on July 10, 2015, Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") the proposed rule change as described in Items I, II, and III below, which Items have been prepared by the Exchange. The Commission is publishing this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from interested persons.
Footnotes:
1 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(1).
2 17 CFR 240.19b-4.
I. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Terms of Substance of the Proposed Rule Change
Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated (the "Exchange" or "CBOE") proposes to amend the Options Regulatory Fee. The text of the proposed rule change is available on the Exchange's Web site ( http://www.cboe.com/AboutCBOE/CBOELegalRegulatoryHome.aspx ), at the Exchange's Office of the Secretary, and at the Commission's Public Reference Room.
II. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
In its filing with the Commission, the Exchange included statements concerning the purpose of and basis for the proposed rule change and discussed any comments it received on the proposed rule change. The text of these statements may be examined at the places specified in Item IV below. The Exchange has prepared summaries, set forth in sections A, B, and C below, of the most significant aspects of such statements.
A. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement of the Purpose of, and Statutory Basis for, the Proposed Rule Change
1. Purpose
The Exchange proposes to decrease the Options Regulatory Fee ("ORF") from $.0086 to $.0064 per contract in order to help ensure that revenue collected from the ORF, in combination with other regulatory fees and fines, does not exceed the Exchange's total regulatory costs. The proposed fee change would be operative on August 1, 2015.
[top] The ORF is assessed by the Exchange to each Trading Permit Holder for all options transactions executed or cleared by the Trading Permit Holder that are cleared by The Options Clearing Corporation ("OCC") in the customer range ( i.e., transactions that clear in a customer account at OCC) regardless of the exchange on which the transaction occurs.3In other words, the Exchange imposes the ORF on all customer-range transactions executed by a Trading Permit Holder, even if the transactions do not take place on the Exchange. The ORF also is charged for transactions that are not executed by a Trading Permit Holder but are ultimately cleared by a Trading Permit Holder. In the case where a Trading Permit Holder executes a transaction and a different Trading Permit Holder clears the transaction, the ORF is assessed to the Trading Permit Holder who executed the transaction. In the case where a non-Trading Permit Holder executes a transaction and a Trading Permit Holder clears the transaction, the ORF is assessed to the Trading Permit Holder who clears the
Footnotes:
3 The ORF also applies to customer-range transactions executed during Extended Trading Hours.
The ORF is designed to recover a material portion of the costs to the Exchange of the supervision and regulation of Trading Permit Holder customer options business, including performing routine surveillances, investigations, examinations, financial monitoring, as well as policy, rulemaking, interpretive and enforcement activities. The Exchange believes that revenue generated from the ORF, when combined with all of the Exchange's other regulatory fees and fines, will cover a material portion, but not all, of the Exchange's regulatory costs. The Exchange notes that its regulatory responsibilities with respect to Trading Permit Holder compliance with options sales practice rules have largely been allocated to FINRA under a 17d-2 agreement. The ORF is not designed to cover the cost of that options sales practice regulation.
The Exchange will continue to monitor the amount of revenue collected from the ORF to ensure that it, in combination with its other regulatory fees and fines, does not exceed the Exchange's total regulatory costs. The Exchange monitors its regulatory costs and revenues at a minimum on a semi-annual basis. If the Exchange determines regulatory revenues exceed or are insufficient to cover a material portion of its regulatory costs, the Exchange will adjust the ORF by submitting a fee change filing to the Commission. The Exchange notifies Trading Permit Holders of adjustments to the ORF via regulatory circular. The Exchange endeavors to provide Trading Permit Holders with such notice at least 30 calendar days prior to the effective date of the change.
2. Statutory Basis
The Exchange believes the proposed rule change is consistent with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Act") and the rules and regulations thereunder applicable to the Exchange and, in particular, the requirements of Section 6(b) of the Act.4Specifically, the Exchange believes the proposed rule change is consistent with Section 6(b)(4) of the Act,5which provides that Exchange rules may provide for the equitable allocation of reasonable dues, fees, and other charges among its Trading Permit Holders and other persons using its facilities. Additionally, the Exchange believes the proposed rule change is consistent with the Section 6(b)(5)6requirement that the rules of an exchange not be designed to permit unfair discrimination between customers, issuers, brokers, or dealers.
Footnotes:
4 15 U.S.C. 78f(b).
5 15 U.S.C. 78f(b)(4).
6 Id.
The Exchange believes the proposed fee change is reasonable because it would help ensure that revenue collected from the ORF, in combination with other regulatory fees and fines, does not exceed the Exchange's total regulatory costs. Moreover, the Exchange believes the ORF ensures fairness by assessing higher fees to those Trading Permit Holders that require more Exchange regulatory services based on the amount of customer options business they conduct. Regulating customer trading activity is much more labor intensive and requires greater expenditure of human and technical resources than regulating non-customer trading activity, which tends to be more automated and less labor-intensive. As a result, the costs associated with administering the customer component of the Exchange's overall regulatory program are materially higher than the costs associated with administering the non-customer component ( e.g., Trading Permit Holder proprietary transactions) of its regulatory program.7The Exchange believes the proposed fee change is equitable and not unfairly discriminatory in that it is charged to all Trading Permit Holders on all their transactions that clear in the customer range at the OCC.
Footnotes:
7 If the Exchange changes its method of funding regulation or if circumstances otherwise change in the future, the Exchange may decide to modify the ORF or assess a separate regulatory fee on Trading Permit Holder proprietary transactions if the Exchange deems it advisable.
B. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Burden on Competition
CBOE does not believe that the proposed rule change will impose any burden on competition that is not necessary or appropriate in furtherance of the purposes of the Act, because it applies to all Trading Permit Holders. The proposed ORF is comparable to fees charged by other options exchanges for the same or similar service. The Exchange believes any burden on competition imposed by the proposed rule change is outweighed by the need to help the Exchange adequately fund its regulatory activities to ensure compliance with the Exchange Act.
C. Self-Regulatory Organization's Statement on Comments on the Proposed Rule Change Received From Members, Participants, or Others
The Exchange neither solicited nor received comments on the proposed rule change.
III. Date of Effectiveness of the Proposed Rule Change and Timing for Commission Action
The foregoing rule change has become effective pursuant to Section 19(b)(3)(A) of the Act8and paragraph (f) of Rule 19b-49thereunder. At any time within 60 days of the filing of the proposed rule change, the Commission summarily may temporarily suspend such rule change if it appears to the Commission that such action is necessary or appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of investors, or otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act. If the Commission takes such action, the Commission will institute proceedings to determine whether the proposed rule change should be approved or disapproved.
Footnotes:
8 15 U.S.C. 78s(b)(3)(A).
9 17 CFR 240.19b-4(f).
IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views, and arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the proposed rule change is consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of the following methods:
Electronic Comments
• Use the Commission's Internet comment form ( http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml ); or
• Use the Commission's Internet comment form ( http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml ); or
• Send an email to rule-comments@sec.gov. Please include File Number SR-CBOE-2015-064 on the subject line.
Paper Comments
• Send paper comments in triplicate to Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street NE., Washington, DC 20549-1090.
[top] All submissions should refer to File Number SR-CBOE-2015-064. This file number should be included on the subject line if email is used. To help the Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, please use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on the Commission's Internet Web site ( http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all written statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are filed with the Commission, and all written
For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated authority.10
Footnotes:
10 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(12).
Robert W. Errett,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-18131 Filed 7-23-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P